Federal Trial Begins March 6 Over Illegal Kansas Voting Law

OVERLAND PARK, KS – A federal trial begins March 6 in Fish v. Kobach, which centers on a law crafted by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach that illegally mandates documentary proof of citizenship (such as a passport) to register to vote, with the aim of making it harder for people to vote. From 2013 to 2016, more than 35,000 Kansas citizens had their voter registration applications blocked because of this law. Several of these Kansas voters will testify next week.

This case has far-reaching, national implications. Federal law requires states to allow people to register to vote at DMV offices by vowing under oath that they are U.S. citizens. Sec. Kobach is creating a barrier to voting by forcing people to show documents in order to register, in violation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The federal government passed the NVRA to establish uniformity and simplicity in the voter registration process. If Sec. Kobach has his way, that uniform system of voter registration would be turned into a state-by-state patchwork vulnerable to political-party shenanigans and discriminatory regulations.

The ACLU has successfully sued Sec. Kobach five times over his various voter suppression policies, including litigation against the Trump administration’s now-defunct “election integrity” commission, co-chaired by Sec. Kobach. He has also been fined and sanctioned by the courts for repeatedly misleading them in these voting lawsuits.

WHAT:Fish v. Kobach Trial

WHO:Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach will square off at trial. Chief Judge Julie Robinson is presiding.